1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to providing a graphical user interface for selecting content from a plurality of content sources and has particular but not exclusive application to an interactive multi-channel television set for selecting content from a variety of different sources such as digital television broadcast channels, pre-recorded content and the Internet.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Multiple channel television sets which can receive a multiplicity of digital broadcast channels via terrestrial broadcasts, satellite or cable are becoming popular. Very large numbers of channels can be transmitted by digital techniques, and so improved channel management systems are needed to enable the viewer to make an informed selection without having to surf all of the available channels. The television set can also be used to provide Internet access so it is desirable to provide a system which can bookmark individual web sites and pages that are of interest to the user.
Proposals have been made to provide a conventional computer keyboard for connection to a television set in order to enable management of the Internet and channel access. However, conventional television sets are usually provided with a handheld remote control device that communicates with the television set through an infrared link. The handheld device has limited functionality as compared with a conventional keyboard but is more convenient to use than the keyboard in most viewing situations.
International Published Application WO 00/65429 discloses a graphical user interface for display on a screen such as the monitor of a television set, in which object fields corresponding to pre-defined choices of content sources is displayed in a vertical column of object fields and a horizontal row of subordinate object fields. The row and the column extend along vertical and horizontal side edges of the display screen respectively. The row and the column intersect in a focus area and are each scrollable that is act as scroll bars so that the individual object fields can be scrolled into the focus area. Each of the object fields in the column may define a general group of content sources and thus may act as a folder which contains a number of individual bookmarks for Internet sites and channels of interest to the user. When the individual object field or folder is brought into the focus area by scrolling the vertical scroll bar, the horizontal scroll bar is populated with bookmarks associated with the folder. The user can then scroll the horizontal scroll bar to bring the bookmarks into the focus area and then select the bookmark in the focus area. The bookmark in the focus area may itself contain a number of sub-object fields, and if so, these are then displayed in the object fields of the vertical scroll bar so that the vertical scroll bar can again be scrolled in order to make a selection from them.
This configuration has the advantage that the scroll bars, which extend vertically and horizontally, can conveniently be controlled by the conventional vertical and left and right scrolling or arrow keys of the handheld remote control device and thus can be operated intuitively by the user. However, the arrangement has the disadvantage that because successive selections of the vertical and horizontal scroll bars need to be made, the user can become confused by the navigational process.